Luna

  My legs burned and my chest heaved as I nearly tripped and fell into the dirt. God, I really needed to exercise more. I gulped in air before coughing heavily as Varis ughed and cheered, “I did it! I beat you!” He pumped his fist a few times, the backpack full of bread bouncing up and down, then turned to me and stuck his hand out.

  I sighed in defeat as I reached out and took it. I didn’t know why I always put myself through this pain; no way in hell could I ever beat him in a physical challenge. My brother pulled me to my feet, patting the dust off my shoulders as I smoothed out my skirt.

  Mother always made me wear them, and I’ll be honest, I liked them. They were super comfortable. My spring and summer skirts only went slightly past my knees and were loose enough that I could move around freely, which unfortunately did not help me in my race against my brother.

  “You’re getting faster,” Varis said. “But you’ll never be as fast as me.” He chuckled as he spped me hard on the back, making me yelp and nearly topple over.

  Straightening myself up, I gred at him. “Shut it, jockhead,” I said as I walked towards the Hautchkinses’ house. It was a beautiful home, two stories and made of gray brick, with white frames and shutters around the windows that contrasted nicely.

  Varis looked at me perplexed as I stopped before the door. “What’d you call me?” he asked.

  “Nothing, now c’mere.” I motioned for him, then rapped my little hand against the wooden door. We stood in silence for what felt like an eternity.

  Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out. “Apologies! Be just a moment.” I gnced back at Varis, who shrugged as we heard heavy bolts being undone. The door flew open, and a pretty yet immensely tired-looking human woman stuck her head out, her blonde hair matted and tangled. For a second, she looked at Varis and me with confusion, and then, as if a lightbulb went off in her head, her eyes widened.

  “Oh, you’re the Ashflows’ kids!” She beamed and stepped back as she opened the door wide. “Please, c’mon in, don’t mind me; I was just doing the undry.”

  I once again shared a look with Varis; he gave me a big smile and strutted past me into the house. I fidgeted with my skirt, inhaled deeply, and then trailed behind with a faint sigh. Couldn’t we just drop off the bread and go?

  I’d never been good with strangers. Long before coming to this world, I was shy. With my online friends, I was protected by the screen of my computer. In the real world, though, I kept my head down and did only what I had to do. Now, having gone from six years cooped up in a trailer to six years cooped up in a house, I really wasn’t used to dealing with those not within my immediate family.

  “Oh wow, this is a nice house, Mrs. Hautchkins!” Varis said as we stepped into the living room. The intricate floral wallpaper added a touch of elegance and charm. A rge firepce stood proudly against one wall, its mantle decorated with delicate porcein figurines and family portraits. Furniture filled the space, including a cozy armchair and a sturdy wooden table. Sunlight streamed through the ce curtains, casting a warm glow on the room’s vintage decor. The entire pce was pristine; not even a single speck of dust could be seen. No wonder this woman looked like a mess. She was probably sving away here.

  “Thank you, young master.” Hearing Mrs. Hautchkins address Varis that way made my ears perk up. She walked into the kitchen saying, “Please make yourself comfortable while I get some tea ready. The walk must’ve taken so much out of you.”

  “It wasn’t too bad!” Varis said nonchantly as he set the pack of bread on the table and sat down. “Luna and I had a race!”

  Oh god, don’t bring up the race. I internally groaned as I looked at Varis, who was smiling at me. He vigorously waved me over. With a small shake of my head, I climbed onto the seat next to him.

  “A race?” Mrs. Hautchkins came back with a wooden ptter which she set on the table. “That would expin why you arrived here so soon.” She took a seat and grabbed the bag of bread, looking it over. “Mind if I ask who won?”

  “Well, it was me, of course!” Varis exalted himself. “I left Luna in the dust.”

  Okay, now he’s lying. “Nuh-uh!” I blurted out. “I was right behind you the whole time!”

  “That’s not true! You were stumbling behind me, begging me to slow down!” Varis crossed his arms, and I gasped.

  “No! You were the one that stumbled because you were going too fast; that’s why I was telling you to slow down, because I didn’t want your clumsy butt ruining the bread!”

  Mrs. Hautchkins raised her hands. “Children, children, please, inside voices.” She ughed nervously before finally opening the bag. “Wow! Look at these loaves.” She hummed as she pulled out a fresh-baked roll. “My, my, Cailynn sure is an excellent baker. It smells like it came directly from Peshmurga.”

  Once again, my ears perked up. “What’s Peshmurga?” I asked.

  She smelled the bread before setting it all out on the ptter. “A beautiful and faraway nd, dear. Dangerous, though. Many of the folk there are excellent at their crafts, yet the leader of that nd is fierce.”

  “Oh, so like a dictatorship!” I made a mental note of another pce to never go.

  Mrs. Hautchkins gave me a perplexed look. “Yes. No offense, miss,” she said, treading lightly, “but I’m surprised you know that word. Madam Soza must be a great teacher.”

  I blushed faintly. Sometimes I couldn’t help but act smarter than I should at this age. But I did want to hold back, and partly because I just wanted to enjoy being a kid again.

  In my past life, I was eager to grow up. Get a job, buy a car, be able to drink alcohol. I wanted it all because it looked so fun. Then I grew up, and boy did I hate it. Being an adult sucks. It’s restrictive and stressful. You have to pay taxes, bills, rent, and a whole lot of other crap.

  Now I was truly free again. The only things I had to worry about were getting home before dinnertime and getting in bed when my parents told me to. On the outside, I was just a smart kid, and I hoped to keep it that way.

  Before I could respond to Mrs. Hautchkins, Varis bounced in his seat. “Madam Soza’s good, but mean!” He huffed and crossed his arms.

  “That’s just because you refuse to pay attention,” I said, crossing my arms as well. “You spend all your time looking out the window instead of reading her assignments, and you hardly listen to her.”

  “Bh bh!” Varis dismissed me with a wave of his hand. “Mrs. Hautchkins, where’s Avdol and Mi?”

  The woman, who’d been giggling at our squabble, settled down and said, “They’re at school. They shouldn’t be getting home for at least a few more hours.”

  “School?” Varis sighed. “I wish I could go to school.”

  School? I thought. I never knew this town had a school.

  But I still hadn’t fully explored Oren, after all. As a baby, I’d been so excited to run outside and see the whole town, but now that I could open that door whenever I wanted, all my old shyness and insecurities had come back. I stayed inside reading and rarely went as far as the outer gate, save for the days I went out with Varis. Though we did py outside with the Hautchkins siblings from time to time, they were more acquaintances than friends. I couldn’t force myself to accept others into my life. Honestly, me being homeschooled was a blessing.

  “I don’t,” I said with a firm nod. “I like staying at home with Madam Soza!”

  Varis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but I’m stuck with you and that mean feylin dy.”

  “Oi!” Mrs. Hautchkins spoke up, giving both of us a jolt. “Watch your tone, young master; Madam Soza is a serelli. Please do not say such inconsiderate things.”

  Varis’s blue and green eyes darted back and forth before he gulped and nodded his head briskly. “My apologies; what I mean is that it would be nice to be around Avdol and the other boys.”

  For some reason, I felt my heart twinge. “Do you not like being around me?” I asked softly.

  Varis shook his head. “No, no, I do. I just… it’s just…” He bit his lip.

  Mrs. Hautchkins leaned forwards with a gentle smile. “I think what he’s saying is that he’d like to be around more kids his age,” she said, and Varis nodded. “It is okay to feel that way. When I was young, I always looked forward to hanging around with my old school friends, though I’m sure your mother and father have a good reason to homeschool you.”

  “Because they can afford it,” Varis huffed. “Mother says it’s because Soza is smarter than all the other teachers!”

  “And that’s probably true. Your mother and father are quite wealthy.”

  “Wealthy?” I asked with a tilt of my head. After seeing a few other homes, I’d thought my parents were just as well-off as anyone else here. With my parents’ jobs, they didn’t seem like they’d ever make money hand over fist. Maybe Dad was a police chief, or maybe Mom sold her baked goods at a crazy price?

  Mrs. Hautchkins blinked. A few moments ter, she cleared her throat and said, “Apologies. I speak faster than my thoughts—” She stopped at the guttural caw of a ground dragon outside. The roll of a cart drew our attention to the window. Mrs. Hautchkins shot up. “Oh, it seems Herbert is home. I’ll go get the tea and payment for your mother’s goods, dearies; if Herbert asks, tell him I’m in the back.” She went back into the kitchen.

  I leaned over to Varis and whispered, “What was that about? She seemed a bit sketchy, didn’t she?”

  Varis leaned towards me. “Yeeeah,” he hissed, his eyes narrowing. “Maybe she knows something about Momma and Papa that we don’t?” He pursed his lips as I nodded, but before we could continue, there was a thud at the front door and a muffled grunt.

  The door opened, and in came a tall, broad-shouldered human man in denim suspenders and a blue pid shirt. He was blonde and slightly balding. Mr. Hautchkins looked at us with confusion as he spat out a piece of straw. Like his wife, he needed a moment for the lightbulb to go off in his head.

  “I’ll be…” he said in a low drawl. “You’re those Ashflow kids.” He smirked and nodded at the table. “I see you have the bread. Smells really good.” He chuckled as he strolled into the room, his shadow looming over us as he took one of the rolls off the ptter and smelled it.

  I about sank into Varis, who seemed quite rexed. I didn’t know how he could deal with strangers so easily. Well, maybe they weren’t strangers to him. Varis did go out more than me, and he and the Hautchkins siblings often hung out together. “Mother made them just this morning,” Varis said, sounding pleased. “She also made that backpack there, which she said is…” He looked over his shoulder at me with a faint blush and whispered, “Luna, what was the word?”

  “Insuted,” I whispered.

  “Yeah! Insuted, Mother said it keeps everything nice and warm.” Varis nodded as Herbert bit a chunk out of a roll and chewed with a hum.

  After swallowing, he raised the rest in the air as if to toast and excimed, “Damn delicious.”

  “Herbert, nguage!” Mrs. Hautchkins scolded him. She’d come back just in time.

  “A-Apologies.” Herbert blushed and cleared his throat. “It’s good, and that’s to be expected. That bag made a difference. That Cailynn, she’s always cooking up some interesting gizmos.”

  Mrs. Hautchkins poured the tea for us, then pced a hefty leather coin purse in front of Varis.

  He grabbed the bag of coins, his eyes wide as Mrs. Hautchkins warned him this was for Mom and Dad only. I looked up at Herbert and asked, “What else do you know about our mother?”

  The man stopped himself from taking another bite and gave me an odd look. He pursed his lips thoughtfully and said, “A fair bit. We Hautchkins and Ashflows have been good friends since shortly after your brother there was born. Your parents moved into Oren, oh, some… ten years ago? The whole town went up in a fuss because some adventurous folks were moving in.” He ughed.

  That got my attention. “Adventurous?” Even Varis took his eyes away from the money to look at him. “Were Mom and Papa adventurers?” I asked.

  Herbert shrugged, winked and said, “I think you should ask them about it.” He waggled his finger at us. “If you’re just hearing about this now, then that means I spoke too much.” I squinted; now he was just furthering my suspicion.

  I’d been in this world for nearly six years now, and I still didn’t know much about the people around me. Aside from Varis, at least—he and I were pretty much glued together—yet Mom and Dad…

  Herbert was right when he mentioned that Mother was always working on something. Behind our house was a smaller cabin. Once I became old enough not to need so much supervision, Mother went out there every morning for a couple of hours. At first, I assumed it was just Mother’s bakery, but things I learned and overheard told me there was more to it.

  Though I’d never gone into that cabin, that kind of shyness never stopped Varis, who I once watched getting scolded for trying to go in without asking.

  Asking? Well, maybe that was it. There was no harm in asking.

  “Mother! Mother!” I rushed into the kitchen and threw myself into Mother’s legs, nearly sending her stumbling into the counter.

  My mother gasped and said, “Wh-What is it, Luna?!” She took a deep breath and looked down at me with a soft smile. “What has you all clingy this evening?”

  Across from us at the dinner table, Madam Soza looked up from her meal. “Little one seems full of energy; I too am curious.” She smirked, her fuzzy tail flicking gently.

  Okay, you got this. Operation Cuteness Overload was underway. I’d honed this skill for years now. It had never once failed me. All I needed to do was pull off the cutest expression ever and melt her heart, and then we’d see what was in the cabin.

  Despite Operation Cuteness Overload being undefeated, a good commander always needs to have a scapegoat. Of course, I didn’t want to make it seem like this was all my idea, so… sorry, Brother.

  “Va—Varis and I were wondering if we could py in the building out back. Y’know, for more space and quiet.” Now smile. I fshed Mother a big dopey smile.

  “No.”

  Fuck, she deflected!

  Mother set down the knife and fork she was using to carve the main course, then ruffled my hair. “That building isn’t a pyhouse, dear. As a matter of fact, that’s where Soza is staying; it’s also me and your father’s work area. No little elves allowed—or, well, any kids, for that matter.”

  Dammit, I can’t give up that easily. Phase Two, Age of Guilt, is underway.

  “But why?” I sniffed. “What’re you hiding?” I puffed out my cheeks; both Soza and Mother ughed even as I tugged a little on Mother’s dress.

  Why are they ughing?! You’re supposed to feel guilt. I’m a sad little girl here and you’re ughing! I knew Mother was the Boss, but I didn’t know that also meant she was heartless.

  “I’m not hiding anything, dearie.” She plucked my small hands off her skirt and said, “Nothing that should concern you, at least.” Mother winked.

  She freaking winked at me! It’s like she’s begging me to go break into the cabin!

  I huffed and stepped back. This was it, the final attempt. Phase Three: Goad Her. “I can’t believe you’re keeping secrets from me.” I stuck my nose up in the air and turned my back on her. Mother gasped, and Soza snorted with ughter, almost choking on her food with her heavy purring.

  Excellent. The pn seems to be working now.

  Mother looked dumbfounded; her mouth agape as she stared down at me. “I—I’m not keeping secrets, uh… well…” She stuttered, sighed, and put her palms together. I gnced at her over my shoulder, trying hard not to smile smugly. By the kitchen door, I could see Varis poking his head in, covering his mouth and trying not to snicker.

  Soon Mother regained her composure and said, “Little dy, I’ll show you what’s in there when you’re older.”

  I raised my eyebrows and could no longer hold back the smile. Now we were getting somewhere—a compromise. Testing my luck, I asked, “When is older—”

  “When you’re older.” Mother cut me off, her tone authoritarian. “Now, come help me with dinner. I need you to start cutting some veggies and setting the table.”

  My smugness dropped, and my eyes widened as I turned to look at her. “But it’s Rest Day; why am I getting chores?!”

  “Because you’re being nosy.” Mother winked. Why is she always winking at me today?! “Now, come, Momma needs your help,” she said as I whined and sulked. Feeling lost, I looked back, hoping to find my brother, who might be able to save me. Yet… Varis was gone. The bastard abandoned me.

  Magrite, also known as magranium, is a crystalline material found naturally in nearly all regions of Enora. It’s a votile material that functions simirly to the channeling of magisters. Such power is what allows us to live our modern life with luxuries such as archeos. Each device, from the light fixtures on our walls to the threshers on farms, is powered with the ether from magrite. So far, it is unknown how or why, but it’s been observed that magrite can attract and grow with ether. In theory, this makes it a renewable power source. However, the speed at which it grows is horribly inefficient.

  —Modern Wonders and How They Work, Hopper Hammerfeld.